Foam Design, Inc.

What Foam Design, Inc. does

Foam Design, Inc. is a Lexington, Kentucky-based precision foam fabricator founded in 1974, serving military, aerospace, electronics, automotive, industrial, and filtration customers with custom cushion packaging, MIL-SPEC foam components, and high-tolerance fabricated foam parts. The company operates a single 444 Transport Court manufacturing facility with 101-250 employees and an integrated engineering-to-production workflow that includes in-house CAD prototyping and material specification guidance.

Its core technical capability is high-tolerance foam fabrication using 5-axis CNC milling, 5-axis and multi-head water jet cutting, wire profile cutting, die cutting, slitting/skiving, lamination, and heat bonding — enabling complex non-Euclidean geometries and precision tolerances. The company maintains an unusually broad raw-material portfolio spanning Dow Chemical Ethafoam (M-Series military grades meeting A-A-59135, A-A-59136, PPP-C-1752, MIL-P-26514), Zotefoams cross-linked polyethylene, reticulated polyurethane (2-100 PPI), HDPE/UHMW, melamine, acoustical, petroleum-absorbing, rubber/neoprene, expanded polypropylene/polyethylene/polystyrene, EVA, and 100% compostable foam. A proprietary thermal process using controlled hydrogen ignition produces reticulated filter foam with controlled porosity for liquid and air filtration.

The business model is direct-to-customer custom fabrication sold against project-based quotations. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by material, geometry, tolerance, and volume. The company holds AS9100D aerospace quality certification, ITAR registration, and WBENC woman-owned business certification (#2005128756), making it a qualified supplier for U.S. defense prime contractors (Northrop Grumman supplier excellence recipient) and government agencies (Naval Weapons Station Earle, TACOM, Picatinny Arsenal). Revenue derives almost entirely from contract-manufactured foam parts and cushion packaging programs rather than standardized catalog sales.

Name

Foam Design, Inc.

Legal name

Foam Design, Inc.

Website

https://foamdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Foam Design is a Lexington, Kentucky-based precision foam fabricator founded in 1974 that serves U.S. military, aerospace, electronics, automotive, industrial, and filtration customers with custom cushion packaging, MIL-SPEC foam components, and high-tolerance water-jet and CNC-milled foam parts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Foam Fabrication

NAICS

Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (326150), Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing (326140), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Plastics Packaging Materials and Unlaminated Film and Sheet Manufacturing (32611)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts) (IMANAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foam Protective Packaging (EPS/EPE/EPP, PU, Molded Foam) (IMALAFAA), Polymer Foams & Cellular Materials (PU Foams, EPS/XPS, Structural Foams) (IMAEANAL), Polyurethane (PU) Flexible Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAC), Polyurethane (PU) Rigid Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAD), Polyethylene (PE) Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAE)

Keywords

• Custom foam fabrication
• Precision foam cutting
• Cushion packaging design
• Military foam packaging
• Reticulated filtration foam

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Foam Fabrication Services: The company generates revenue through custom foam fabrication services including cushion packaging, military foam components, filtration foams, and precision aerospace parts. Services range from simple foam pads to complex CNC-milled components. Revenue is project-based with custom quotations per application.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Foam Design, Inc. is a custom precision foam fabricator producing high-tolerance CNC-milled and water-jet-cut foam components, cushion packaging, MIL-SPEC military foam packaging, reticulated filtration foam, and defense/aerospace foam parts. Operations are run from a single state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lexington, Kentucky, with in-house CAD prototyping, engineering, and material guidance from concept through production.

Product overview

Foam Design, Inc. is a premier foam fabricator offering a comprehensive portfolio of foam products and precision fabrication services. The core offering consists of custom foam fabrication capabilities (including multi-axis CNC milling, water jet cutting, wire profile cutting, die cutting, and die cutting) supporting high-tolerance precision foam products. The company specializes in military and defense foam products (Ethafoam M Series, MIL-SPEC polyethylene and polyurethane foams), filtration foams (reticulated polyurethane in 2-100 PPI densities), and industrial foam materials including HDPE, UHMW, Zotefoams, crosslinked polyethylene, expanded polypropylene/ polyethylene/polystyrene, EVA, rubber, neoprene, melamine, acoustical foam, petroleum absorbing foam, and compostable packaging. All products are manufactured at a state-of-the-art facility in Lexington, Kentucky with in-house CAD prototyping and engineering services. The company operates as an AS9100D-certified woman-owned business with ITAR registration serving aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics, and industrial sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Foam Fabrication Services Custom high-tolerance precision foam cutting and fabrication services using advanced CNC and water jet technologies for military, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and industrial applications.
• Custom Cushion Packaging Design Design service that analyzes product packaging needs and creates unique foam packaging engineered to satisfy function, fragility, and aesthetics requirements for industries including military, automotive, and electronics.
• Custom Foam Case Designs Bespoke foam case and container designs engineered to cradle and protect sensitive cargo including ordnance, electronics, and delicate components during shipping and storage.
• Military Grade Ethafoam Products MIL-SPEC compliant polyethylene foam products from Dow Chemical including Ethafoam M Series grades (M1, M1 AS, M1 FR/AS, M3, M4, M5) certified to A-A-59135, A-A-59136, PPP-C-1752, and MIL-P-26514 military specifications, supplied to defense primes and federal agencies.
• Defense and Aerospace Foam Components Precision-manufactured foam pieces for aerospace and military applications including aviation fuel-tank protection, wing-stiffening, sound ablation, and shock-proofing components for advanced composite aircraft and defense systems.
• Reticulated Filter Foams Thermally-processed reticulated polyurethane foam for filtration applications, available in pore densities from 2 PPI to 100 PPI; polyether grades for submerged liquid filters and polyester grades for aerobic filtration of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
• CAD Prototyping and Engineering Services In-house computer-aided design prototyping services for product development and validation prior to foam fabrication, integrating engineering, fit, and manufacturability in a single location.
• Industrial Foam Material Product Line Industrial-grade foam materials portfolio including rigid urethane molding, melamine foam, HDPE and UHMW foam, Zotefoams and other cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE), EPP, EPE, EPS, EVA, acoustical foam, water filtration foam, petroleum absorbing foam, rubber and neoprene foam, and 100% compostable packing foam for commercial and industrial customers.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northrop GrummancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2016Major aerospace and defense contractor that awarded Foam Design for Supplier Excellence, indicating a strong ongoing supplier relationship.
• Dow ChemicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDow Chemical authorized fabricator and distributor. Stock all grades of Military series polyethylene meeting A-A-59135, A-A-59136, and PPP-C-1752 specifications as well as all grades and densities of MIL-P-26514 polyurethane. Provides Ethafoam M-series products.
• Major Defense Prime ContractorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with all major prime contractors in designing and building specialized foam packaging, foam dunnage, military cases and containers for defense applications.
• Naval Weapons Station EarlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment defense customer for fail-safe custom foam packaging designs. Engineers worked hand-in-hand on specialized foam packaging solutions.
• TACOM (U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint design and development of specialized foam packaging for military applications in collaboration with TACOM engineers.
• Picatinny ArsenalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering partnership for specialized foam packaging and dunnage solutions for munitions and defense equipment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foam Fabricators Inc. Custom foam fabricator offering molded EPS, EPP, and fabricated foam packaging and components for industrial, automotive, and protective packaging applications. Directly comparable as a competing precision/custom foam fabricator serving similar OEM and industrial end-markets.
• Wisconsin Foam Products: Custom fabricator of expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), and protective foam packaging serving industrial, appliance, and OEM customers. Comparable as a precision foam fabricator serving similar protective packaging and component end-uses.
• Polyair Inter Pack: Manufacturer of protective packaging including foam-in-place, air pillows, and fabricated foam packaging for e-commerce and industrial shippers. Comparable as a competing protective foam packaging supplier with overlapping cushion packaging use cases.
• UFP Technologies: Designer and custom fabricator of engineered foams, plastics, and specialty packaging for medical, automotive, aerospace, and defense markets. Comparable as a custom foam fabricator serving aerospace and defense with engineered foam components, similar to Foam Design's aerospace and military work.
• Engineered Foam Products: Custom fabricator of closed-cell polyethylene, cross-linked, and open-cell foam components for automotive, medical, and industrial applications. Comparable as a precision foam fabricator serving OEM and industrial markets with similar materials (PE, XLPE, PU).

Broad incumbents

• Pregis LLC: Large protective packaging manufacturer offering foam-in-place, sheet foam, fabricated foam inserts, and integrated packaging systems. Comparable to Foam Design across foam protective packaging but operates at much greater scale and offers a broader automated solutions portfolio.
• Sealed Air Corporation: Global packaging company whose protective packaging segment competes in foam and cushion packaging solutions (e.g., Ethafoam-adjacent products, Instapak foam). A broader incumbent with significant foam cushion packaging overlap with Foam Design's packaging business.
• Sonoco Protective Solutions: Sonoco's protective solutions business (including the former Eviosys and ThermoSafe) provides custom foam packaging, molded pulp, and engineered packaging for industrial and defense customers. Comparable as a broader protective packaging incumbent with foam fabrication capability.

Others

• Zotefoams plc: UK-based manufacturer of cross-linked polyolefin foams (Azote) sold under partnerships (including with Foam Design). Adjacent rather than directly competing; relevant because Zotefoams is both a material supplier to Foam Design and a foam producer whose own products overlap with foam types Foam Design fabricates.
• Dow Chemical (Ethafoam): Upstream manufacturer of polyethylene-based Ethafoam products, including MIL-SPEC grades. Not a direct fabricator competitor, but Foam Design is an authorized Dow fabricator/distributor, making Dow a key supplier and a reference point for the foam materials Foam Design converts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2777217/admin

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foam Design, Inc.